8 Forgotten Toyota Cars That Belong Back on the Road Today

Toyota doesn’t rock the boat. Instead, it watches the market and makes calculated decisions based on what’s proven to work.

Call it conservative if you will, but the world’s largest automaker clearly knows a thing or two about selling cars …

For this reason, many Toyotas tend to enjoy lengthy production runs, and something successful rarely gets pulled from the lineup.

Toyota

However, the Japanese marque has had to make some touch calls in the past, and there are a few models that, despite their promise, no longer line the roads today.

With talk of the return of iconic Toyota sports cars like the Celica and the MR2, one can’t help but wonder what other discontinued nameplates are being considered for production.

Keeping this in mind, here are eight such Toyotas that belong back on the road.

Toyota 2000GT (1967 – 1970)

Long before models like the Toyota Celica and the Supra made Toyota a household name for its performance, the 2000GT served as the brand’s first foray into the sports car segment. 

Toyota

Built in collaboration with Yamaha, it boasted striking styling along with innovations like a Lotus-inspired backbone chassis, independent front wishbone suspension and disc brakes all around.

Toyota has obviously since made such technology seem ancient, so a 2000GT revival would make for a welcome celebration of the original.  

Toyota Carina (1970 – 2001)

The Toyota Carina debuted in the mid-1970s alongside the Celica as a more practical family-minded alternative. In contrast to the brand’s youthful pony car, then, the sedan offered more subdued styling along with the option of four doors. 

Toyota

Though the Carina struggled to find an audience because of Toyota’s many other sports cars at the time, the brand’s current SUV-heavy lineup would lend itself well to an engaging but stylistically subdued four-door.

Toyota Corona (1957 – 2001)

When Toyota entered the US market back in the 1950s, Americans proved highly skeptical of the Japanese automaker’s price point and build quality — sales were slow for the first few years. 

Toyota

However, that all changed with the debut of the Corona, as the car showed stateside buyers that Toyota could deliver economy sedans that were big on utility and built to last. Production of the model spanned 11 generations until its discontinuation in 2001, so a revival would recall a longstanding name in Toyota lore.

Toyota Cressida (1976 – 1992)

Before Toyota launched its luxury Lexus division, the brand’s lineup included upscale sedans like the Cressida. 

Toyota

With its shared Supra DNA — including the front suspension components and later 5M-GE and 7M-GE engines — and rear-wheel drive layout, this fancy four-door can be made into a true sleeper car.

Were Toyota to bring the model back today, it could always position it as a North American Crown equivalent.

Toyota Previa (1990 – 1997)

Toyota

This slippery minivan first hit the market in 1990 and it stayed in production until 2019, so there’s plenty of precedent calling for its return. 

While it originally debuted with a unique mid-engine layout, if Toyota were to bring the Previa back, it would likely make more sense as an EV. With some well-placed batteries and a couple electric motors (or better yet, a quaint retro design), it could offer an alternative to the ID.Buzz.

Toyota Soarer (1981 – 2005)

The Soarer hit the market in 1981 as the first personal luxury offering in the Toyota lineup, and each subsequent generation reaffirmed the model’s positioning with added tech and further stylistic refinements.

Toyota

For instance, along with a digital dashboard and active suspension, the Soarer also featured novelties like a backup camera and active four-wheel steering. If Toyota really wanted to stand out, it’d bring back the Aero model with its retractable hard top.

Toyota Starlet (1973 – 1999)

Though the Starlet only made its way stateside for a few brief years, the little compact was much bigger in impact than its size may suggest. 

Toyota

Along with being one of the first Japanese hot hatches to hit the market, the Starlet was a true tour de force in the world of motorsport. There’ve been some rumors about a return with a rally-ready GR variant — evidently, Toyota recognizes the appeal in the nameplate.

Toyota Tercel (1978 – 1999)

The Tercel was most recently made famous for its appearance in Breaking Bad, but this Toyota deserves attention for what made it unique while it was on the market, too.

Toyota

In the case of the Tercel 4WD variant, Toyota fitted the station wagon with a selectable transfer case, a low-range granny gear and other features that gave it surprising off-road chops. 

Considering the overwhelming number of crossovers and SUVs nowadays, a wagon would make for a refreshing change, and four-wheel drive would certainly make it stand out. 

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